Labor Pain News

FRIDAY, Jan. 19, 2018 – About 1 in every 160 pregnancies in the United States ends in stillbirth. Now, a new study suggests many of these tragedies are "potentially" avoidable. With better prenatal and obstetric care, that stillbirth rate might improve, researchers say. "We found that about 25 percent of U.S. stillbirths were potentially preventable," said study senior author Dr. Robert Silver, ...

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10, 2018 – Toddlers whose mothers used acetaminophen – best known as Tylenol – early in pregnancy may have a heightened risk of language delays, a new study suggests. Researchers found that when moms-to-be used the painkiller during the first trimester, their daughters were more likely to have language delays at age 2.5 years. No such link was seen among boys, however. A ...

THURSDAY, Nov. 16, 2017 – Expectant mothers seeking to lower their risk of a cesarean delivery might want to consider getting a midwife involved, a new study suggests. In addition, midwives were tied to less need for a surgical incision called an episiotomy during childbirth, the researchers reported. "More midwife-attended births may correlate with fewer obstetric procedures, which could lower ...

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 25, 2017 – The U.S.'s leading group of obstetricians and gynecologists is warning against a new trend where babies born by C-section are "seeded" via cotton swabs with vaginal microbes from the mother. "Vaginal seeding" is growing in popularity because it's thought that babies born through Cesarean-section miss out on certain "helpful" vaginal microbes that might shield the ...

TUESDAY, Oct. 24, 2017 – While obesity in pregnancy has long been linked to a higher risk for complications during childbirth, there's now another reason to avoid it: a late start to breast milk production. That's the finding from a new study of more than 200 women with newborns who planned to breast-feed. The researchers found that delays in "lactogenesis" – the production of breast milk ...

SATURDAY, Oct. 21, 2017 – How much pain a woman feels after cesarean delivery may depend on the length of the incision, a new study suggests. Researchers assessed pain in nearly 700 women who gave birth via elective C-sections. Both short and long surgical incisions were linked to greater pain. Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that the ideal length of a C-section incision is ...

THURSDAY, Oct. 19, 2017 – Lying down after an epidural increases a first-time mother's chances of having a normal birth, a new study suggests. With an epidural, a tube is inserted into a space below the spinal cord, and small doses of painkillers can be given during childbirth. More than 50 percent of U.S. women in labor have an epidural for pain relief, according to the American Pregnancy ...

TUESDAY, Oct. 10, 2017 – Epidurals are a popular form of pain control for women during labor, but they've long been blamed for hindering progress in the delivery room. However, new research challenges this widely held belief, suggesting that epidurals have no effect on how long labor lasts – or when babies are born. "We found that exchanging the epidural anesthetic with a [non-drug] saline ...

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2017 – The same medication to prevent preterm birth can cost $200 – or nearly $11,000, a new study finds. Harvard Medical School researchers found that use of a brand name and prepackaging was associated with a 5,000 percent increase in the cost of the synthetic hormone progestin. They said the average per-pregnancy cost of a compounded, made-to-order form of the medication ...

FRIDAY, Sept. 29, 2017 – You may have heard that some new mothers choose to eat their own placenta after childbirth. But there's no indication the trendy practice offers any health benefits, and some evidence it could prove dangerous, new research suggests. After reviewing dozens of studies from across the globe on so-called placentophagy, or placenta consumption, the researchers say they're ...

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27, 2017 – Infants born early in a full-term pregnancy have a higher risk of poor heart-lung fitness later in life, a new study suggests. The study included nearly 800 people in Northern Ireland who were born at full-term (37 to 42 weeks) and had their cardiorespiratory fitness assessed at ages 12, 15 and 22. Those born at 37 to 38 weeks had a 57 percent higher risk of poor ...

FRIDAY, Sept. 1, 2017 – By learning more about the immune system changes that occur during pregnancy, scientists hope they can someday predict if babies will be born prematurely. "Pregnancy is a unique immunological state. We found that the timing of immune system changes follows a precise and predictable pattern in normal pregnancy," said study senior author Dr. Brice Gaudilliere. He's an ...

MONDAY, Aug. 28, 2017 – Race and ethnicity can make a difference in the quality of care a premature baby receives in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), a new study finds. Top-quality hospitals in California tend to deliver better care to white babies compared with black or Hispanic newborns, researchers report. In addition, black and Hispanic infants are more likely than white newborns to ...

WEDNESDAY, July 19, 2017 – Eating a healthy diet and exercising during pregnancy isn't just good for the developing baby. A new analysis of 36 studies including a total of more than 12,500 women suggests these behaviors can also lower a mom-to-be's chances of having a Cesarean-section delivery or developing diabetes while pregnant. Overall, healthy habits reduced the risk of needing a C-section ...

WEDNESDAY, July 12, 2017 – More evidence of stress's harmful effects comes from a pregnancy study. California researchers found that stress increases the risk that exposure to toxic chemicals in pregnancy will lead to a low birth weight baby. "It appears that stress may amplify the health effects of toxic chemical exposure, which means that for some people, toxic chemicals become more toxic," ...